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Arrest in Peninsula Symphony Embezzlement

March 11, 2014

It took almost a half-year to move from suspicion to indictment and arrest, but on Feb. 28 former Peninsula Symphony Executive Director Stephen Jay Carlton was charged with embezzlement and grand theft, according to Los Altos Online.

The Music News report in October reported that nearly a half-million dollars disappeared from the orchestra's bank accounts, and Carlton was first said to have resigned, but the spokesman soon corrected that to "no longer with the organization."

Carlton is scheduled to appear in Palo Alto Superior Court April 8, to face nine charges: one for grand theft, three for forgery, one for identity theft, one for embezzlement, and three for state tax evasion. If convicted on all counts, he may be sentenced to the maximum of 18 years in prison. According to the felony complaint filed against Carlton, he has a prior voluntary manslaughter conviction in San Bernardino County, well in advance of his hiring by the orchestra.